Their Brilliance

I really try to not hold back my feelings for people. I don't think there's any value in holding close the fact that you like, admire, love, envy, or are seeking things that are wonderful about the people in your life. Even people you barely know--you'll always hear me complimenting strangers about beautiful things they're wearing, their hair, their children's kindness. Whatever. I say it out loud and I love the reaction I get when people are pleasantly surprised that I've done so.

Because I'm that way, I'm hard to surprise. When others give voice to something they admire about me, its great. But refer to paragraph 1: that's the way I think it should be. So, its hard to get me to a place where I am truly touched and grateful for a quick compliment or comment.

My colleague and friend, Jeff, got me this week while we were at the national sales meeting. They showed a new video of the technical and medical directors at our laboratories. The topic of the video was commitment to quality and innovation---basically, helping patients. It was really well done. I personally know almost every scientist or doctor in the video. Many of them I have traveled with or see in the parking lot or cafeteria every day. That means, that I see them as normal people and I truly forget that they are among the most brilliant people on the planet. These are scientists that develop new tests for deadly diseases. These are people that understand the human genome. These are people who save patients lives. It got to me.

So, the video ends. Like any grown children at meeting, we've been writing notes back and forth. I grab the note paper and write the paragraph you see here:

And I meant it. At the moment I wrote it, I really was questioning my place in the company and the value of what I do compared to those truly gifted people. It doesn't happen often, but I was feeling humble, grateful, inadequate, and lucky. Then I got luckier. Jeff took the paper and wrote the word "life". He looked a me and then pointed to the paper and drew that spectrum line from left to right. He nodded at me as if to say "You get it?" I did. Then he drew that dark tick mark on the right third and entered the caption "their brilliance". He looked at me again and I was puzzled. He moved the paper toward me, leaned in and said something like this: "Life is wide. People like those--their brilliance only takes up that little space. Someone like you (he now draws the two center tick marks), you take up all of the space in here." How nice is that? I'm sure I don't have those words just right because I was so touched. It was just what I needed to hear at that moment of self-doubt and it was said in such a perfect way with no forethought or restrictions. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thanks, Jeff. And by the way---you're one of those brilliant people that I wonder why they let me work with.